Singapore’s newest electric buses will soon undergo modifications, following passenger complaints about high steps and raised seating areas.
According to a Shin Min Daily News article (2 Oct 2025), the changes come after complaints from elderly commuters about high steps and raised seating areas. Modifications will be carried out from October 2025.
Passenger Complaints
Passengers interviewed by Shin Min agreed that priority seats on the new buses are hard to access. Many are installed on raised platforms, requiring a tall step that can be difficult for seniors or those carrying items. In one case, a commuter said they saw an elderly man nearly fall while stepping down. The same interviewee observed that some elderly riders simply choose to stand rather than climb onto the raised seats.
The buses in question
The models affected are the BYD BC12A04 and Zhongtong LCK6126EVG. A total of 420 units—300 from BYD and 120 from Zhongtong—were procured by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in 2023.
Inside, each bus has 12 priority seats in the front section. While four are on the flat floor level, the remaining eight sit above the front wheel wells, requiring passengers to climb a high step.
In the rear section, where another 4 priority seats are located after the middle door, steps can be as tall as 33 cm due to the sloping floor. For comparison, older low-entry buses such as the Scania K230UB and staircases on double-deckers, generally do not exceed 23 cm.
LTA media responses
In response to Shin Min Daily News on 2 October 2025, an LTA spokesperson explained that the raised steps are a result of the buses’ fully low-floor design. To keep the passenger cabin step-free, manufacturers place components such as wheel wells and batteries under the floor, which makes some seating platforms higher.
To address commuter concerns, LTA confirmed that modifications will start in October 2025. The goal is to ensure steps do not exceed 23 cm, in line with current bus designs. This will be done by raising the floorboard height, and in the long term, by improving battery density so smaller batteries can be used.
Further reporting by The Straits Times published on 30 October 2025 added that buses will be taken out of service for one to two weeks each during phased modifications to minimise service disruptions. The article also mentioned that LTA had dropped the mandatory Full Low-Floor Requirement for 660 New Electric Buses.
LTA also clarified that plans to address the step height were already in progress before the report was published in Shin Min on 2 October. It also did not provide the total cost of the modification works when asked.
These adjustments represent a significant redesign for buses already in mass production. Still, the move highlights a willingness to adapt to passenger feedback—especially from seniors who rely on public transport.
Where these buses are deployed
As of October 2025, these electric buses are currently deployed out of the following depots:
- Sengkang West Bus Depot – Deployed on Hougang and Sengkang area services, such as:
51, 80, 86, 102, 107, 112, 113, 115, 116, 151, 153, 159, 163, 324, 325, 329, 371, 372 & 374 - Bulim Bus Depot – Bus services 66 & 77
- Loyang Bus Depot – Bus service 15
- Gali Batu Bus Depot – Bus service 75, 300, 307
In response to press enquiries, the LTA said that about 170 of the 420 electric buses are already on the roads, with the rest expected to enter service by the end of the year.
Interior
External Links & References
- 年长乘客：新巴士座位太高 上下不便险摔倒 – 新明日报 [Accessed 2 Oct 2025]
- LTA to lower step heights on new electric buses | The Straits Times [Accessed 30 Oct 2025] (Photo of modified BYD appeared in print; photo of modified Zhongtong from online article)
To save face, LTA says “Still, the move highlights a willingness to adapt to passenger feedback—especially from seniors who rely on public transport.”
They should have foreseen the obstacles faced, not just for the seniors, even for people who have short legs.
To be clear, the last paragraph you mentioned isn’t a quote from LTA. It’s the author’s own commentary interpreting LTA’s actions.
So the moral of the story is that you get what you pay for. LTA tried to be cheapskate by awarding contract to the cheapest bidders but surprised pikachu face when it ended up backfiring on them. Now god knows how much $$$ they’ll need to fork up for the modification works. I’ll be speechless if LTA still decides to award the 660-ebus bid to BYD and Zhongtong Just stick to the tried and tested brands like Volvo, MB or Scania or at the very least go for the Yutongs if they die die wanna save money.
BYD and Zhongtong buses are also tried and tested. Easy for you to be an armchair critic and exaggerate the amount of money needed to modify each bus
“Tried and tested” my arse, how about failed operations in North America, toxic chemicals banned outside of the PRC used in manufacturing process, breaking down on first day of service, explosions all over the world
You lack critical thinking skills by cherry picking exaggerated cases. The electric buses are doing fine in many countries and BYD is one of the global manufacturers of electric vehicles. I am sure there are regulations by the Singapore authorities to ensure buses here are safe. Many parts can eventually be traced back to China. You just have a bias towards BYD and Zhongtong, hence resorting to these exaggerated claims
Tell me you’re aren’t being paid by the the Chinese EV manufacturers, CCP or the SG government without telling me you are
All manufacturing will eventually shift away to cheaper countries like what’s happening now, just like how China took all of the share in manufacturing decades ago
“regulations by the Singapore authorities” Yeah sure, like what’s happening now? An elderly person can take one wrong step and hurt themselves and the government will close both eyes because they wouldn’t want to anger their masters now, do they?
Also, very nice of you to say that, when these two literally bid the lowest out of all other manufacturers, even compared to YUTONG.
You people are genuinely midwitted and shouldn’t be allowed to access the internet. Appeal to authority fallacy + tu quoque
Get this AI garbage out of here…
I saw 117/117M also using BYD buses too… might need to update to include that as well
The question should be asked as to why the regulations were allowed to be overlooked in the first place? Were the LTA asleep when the buses were type approved? Or did they just look the other way because the buses were cheap? Were the other bidders compliant in this critical area?
Platform heights are set for a reason, mainly passenger safety, and that should never have been allowed to be compromised.
Raising the floorboard height must come with other compromises surely? Extra weight, entrance and exit door step heights, increased ramp angle. Sounds like a complete fudge.
Singapore deserves better.
Next European or Japanese model please enough of these PRC stuffs
So they took out most the SWDEP diesel bus for these e-bus and now they will spend time undergoing modification works.
I wonder where the excess fleet of buses they would be using, considering right now HG-SK buses are under-deployed and always depart late.
When I thought only TTS and GAS drop duty due to lack of manpower but now SBST also follow that trend… Not only SW and BN but also other depot including UP.
Not enough dd in upd